Parental awareness of headaches among elementary school-aged children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional studyz

Parental Awareness of Headaches Among Elementary School-Aged Children in Makkah, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Headaches are a prevalent form of pain experienced in the skull, face, and facial structures, categorized into two types: primary and secondary. Primary headaches are more frequently observed in children and can be triggered by sleep disturbances, vision problems, malnutrition, and other medical conditions. Despite their prevalence among children, these headaches often go unrecognized and untreated, and there seems to be insufficient parental awareness regarding childhood headaches. This study aims to determine the prevalence of childhood headaches and assess awareness about this among parents of elementary school-aged children in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to enhance parental understanding of this issue. Methods Data were collected through an online survey created using Google Forms (Google LLC, Mountain View, California, United States), distributed to parents residing in Makkah. The survey was disseminated in March 2023. Results A total of 499 parents completed the study questionnaire, comprising 399 mothers and 100 fathers, with a mean parental age of 37.1 ± 13.9 years. Of the participants, 89.2% were married, 91% were Saudi nationals, and 105 had secondary education. Parents reported that 13.2% of their children complained of headaches, with 55.3% describing them as occasional. Among the respondents, 178 parents sought medical care for their children's headaches primarily out of fear. It was found that 69.7% of parents with higher education had good knowledge regarding childhood headaches, while 59.8% of employed parents had good knowledge compared to 43.8% of others. Conclusion This study revealed a lack of adequate knowledge and awareness among parents regarding headaches in children residing in Makkah. Therefore, we recommend conducting further research and implementing educational initiatives to enhance parental understanding of childhood headaches in Makkah and other regions of Saudi Arabia.

Review on Headache Related to Dietary Supplements

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The lifetime prevalence of headaches is 96%. Approximately 11% of the adult population worldwide has a migraine headache. Migraine is a complex disorder that is more than a simple headache. So far, many underlying mechanisms, i.e. inflammatory, vascular, neurogenic have been hypothesized. In recent years evidences proposed that an energy deficit due to changes in mitochondrial function contributes to migraine pathophysiology as an upstream disorder. Recent insights suggested that the coexistence of sensory-stimuli surplus and energy-reserve shortage activate the trigeminovascular system. Some nutrients are considered as essential elements in mitochondrial bioenergetics and some others are known as natural immuno-modulatory components. Also, evidence showed their beneficial effect in headache prophylaxis and treatment. In present study, we aimed to review the available data in this field.

RECENT FINDINGS

Vitamin B group, magnesium, and Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) are well-known for their function in mitochondrial energy metabolism. On the other hand, studies support their beneficial role in controlling migraine headache symptoms. For instance, daily intake of 400-milligram riboflavin for 3 months resulted in more than 50% reduction in migraine attacks in more than half of the consumers. According to recent evidence, vitamin D and Omega-3 which are considered as famous immune-modulatory compounds are also reported to be effective in migraine prophylaxis. For example, every 22% reduction in migraine headache occurrence was reported for every 5 ng/ml rise in serum vitamin D. Supplementation with vitamin B group, CoQ10, magnesium, vitamin D and Omega-3 could be considered as an effective, less costly strategy in headache/migraine prophylaxis.